Salvation in Damnation
by Dreamscapes Symphonic
Summary: Two months after the events of Children of Earth, Jack wanders the Earth in search of meaning. While in LA, he runs into kindred spirit.


The noise of the city greeted Jack as he stepped out of the airport. Los Angeles. He couldn't remember the last time he had been here. Twenty years ago? Thirty? The years all kind of blended together now, but that was to be expected in someone who had already lived thousands of years and faced infinite more.

Those multiple lifetimes awaiting currently loomed more heavily then they ever had. It had been two months since the attack on Thames House, two months since his brash actions had cost him what he loved most in the universe. Ianto's final labored breaths followed him wherever he went, the dying man's gaze haunting him in his dreams.

He'd had to leave Cardiff. Alice refused to see him and he knew this time it was for good, that the next time he'd see his daughter would be at her funeral. He couldn't even look at Gwen anymore. Torchwood was dead. This life was over and he needed to find his salvation or damnation elsewhere.

He didn't have a particular reason for visiting LA. It had just been the next step. And now here he was.

He hailed a cab to bring him to the nearest hotel. The driver, a tall, dark-skinned man with long black hair, was definitely not human. But Jack didn't press the issue. He just mumbled, "nearest hotel please," and the man peeled out, somehow passing through the choked streets with ease. Jack sat in the back and closed his eyes. This only lasted until the cab jerked to a stop.

The driver swore in a language Jack recognized as native to the Andromeda galaxy. Ahead, the traffic was stopped and smoke was rising over the buildings. Sirens started up at the moment, coming from every direction.

Jack pulled out a handful of bills and gave them to the driver, climbing out of the cab before the man could give him his change. He weaved between stopped cars, heading toward the unseen destruction ahead. Several others were also headed that way. Jack heard snatches of conversation as he passed them.

"Detonated explosives in the basement –"

"-school up there? He really is the thoroughbred of sin…"

"Radio says the Evil League of Evil is claiming responsibility."

The Evil League of Evil. Jack knew them. Highly effective crime syndicate, despite the ridiculous name. As their activity was mainly centered in the United States and they'd had plenty to deal with in Wales alone, he had never actually encountered them. But they were among the many groups Tosh had filed away in the Hub's system for future reference.

Oh God, Tosh. Bleeding and frightened on the ground. Comforting Owen as he died once more, as she herself slipped away. Two more lives ended far too early. All because of him.

He stopped walking and shook his head. This wasn't the place for him. This atrocity had been committed by people of Earth. Nothing otherworldly, just the usual human hate and greed. Captain Jack trying to take control of the situation would make it worse, just like always. With a sigh, he turned and walked in the other direction.

He walked for hours with no particular destination in mind. Hours after the sky had darkened, he stopped in front of a somewhat seedy looking bar. What the hell, he could use a drink.

Besides the bartender there was only one other man in the bar. He was young, but even in the bad lighting, Jack could see the lines on his pale face. Three empty glasses sat on the counter and he was making steady progress through a fourth as the wary bartender poured another.

The bartender looked up with obvious relief when Jack walked in. "What can I get you?"

"Scotch on the rocks."

He sat down as the bartender walked away. The younger man had finished his drink and now stared blankly at the counter. His blond hair was unkempt and wild around his boyish face. Exhaustion was obvious in his every move as he reached for the fourth class and took a sip.

"What a cock-up."

The other man's voice was rusty and slightly slurred. "You know," he continued, "A year ago I would've been horrified at the thought of killing kids. Killing kids! It's disgusting. Bad Horse blew up a goddamn school. But now…" He took another sip. "Now I can't bring myself to care. You know what I mean?"

Jack didn't say anything. He knew all too well what the man was talking about. But what he felt was far from nothing. It was a constant raw guilt in the very pit of his stomach. He was the reason his grandson was dead.

The man laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "Who am I to judge anyone, anyway? This world is a disaster. I used to think I could fix it. I thought I could take it over and make it better. What a crock of shit. Hey man, get me another one of these?"

As he waved the empty glass at the bartender, Jack realized he recognized the man. But from where?

"The thing is, this world can't be saved. There's no way. It needs to be destroyed." The man turned to face Jack. "The League isn't going to do it. They aren't willing to go all the way. Sure, they'll blow some kids to pieces, but they won't go any farther. They aren't willing to do the right thing here."

"The right thing?" Jack repeated.

"Uh, yeah." The man sighed as though Jack had said something particularly dense. "It'd be a mercy killing, honestly. Humanity needs to be wiped out before we can do any more damage."

He turned toward the silent television in the corner. Footage of rescue workers carting body bags from smoking rubble played across the dusty screen. "I applied to the League thinking I'd make something of myself. That I'd be someone important. Someone worthy of –"

He broke off and turned away, closing his eyes as though pained. "It's all a lie. It's insanity." He gestured toward the screen. "Take this for example. They blew up a fucking school. Kids blown apart. Families destroyed. But does anyone else care? Of course not. Life just marches on, just like always. Nothing is going to stop humanity from destroying each other. Nothing but death."

The television cast its light over the man's face and in the sinister glow, Jack realized where he knew him from. Billy Last Name Unknown, aka Dr. Horrible. He could see Tosh's file on him as though it was open before him. Latest addition to the Evil League of Evil after the attempted murder of Captain Hammer and the successful murder of an anonymous bystander. A year of infamy as the League's master inventor, then gone without a trace. Current whereabouts unknown.

Dr. Horrible sighed. "You know exactly what I mean. I can see it in your face." He grinned, the smile drunkenly malicious. "So, who'd you kill?"

The words clamped around Jack's throat and for a moment he couldn't breathe, couldn't see. Ianto's face was before him. Flashes of smiles, a stopwatch, a warm body on a cold night. A cold body uncovered in a makeshift morgue. Steven. Blond hair, innocent smile. The fear in his eyes as the machinery glowed and his mother screamed, cried, begged. Dead eyes and bloodied face as the screaming continued.

Dr. Horrible smiled again, this one sadder. "Thought so," he said. "I killed the woman I loved."

There was a long pause. "I didn't mean to do it," Dr. Horrible continued, "I didn't go after her. Didn't pull the trigger. But it was my death ray. My spectacle. My determination to kill Captain Hammer. Kill him; I get her and the League. Win-win, huh? Everything went perfectly up until the point when Captain Hammer got the gun. Don't ask me how, but he got the death ray. He wanted to kill me but it blew up when he pulled the trigger. The – the pieces. Flew everywhere. No one was hurt except…"

Jack nodded, the pieces falling into place. "I don't know why I'm telling you this," Dr. Horrible said. "Not like you care. No one does. Hell, I don't care. I feel nothing."

The obvious lie was betrayed by his trembling hands. "I need to go too." He said. "I'm as bad as the rest of the world. I used to think I was above it all, but I'm just as bad as everyone else."

Another long pause. Jack tried to think of something to say. "Look, Doc…" Dr. Horrible didn't answer. "Man. Billy. Billy, buddy…"

Dr. Horrible's entire body tensed. "Don't call me that!"

"Sorry, sorry. Look, the world, it's not…"

Jack stopped. Forget it. How could he help this man when he felt the exact same way?

He sighed. "I killed my grandson. I did it to save the world but it wasn't worth it."

Dr. Horrible glanced at him. "Grandson?"

"It's a long story, but I'm far older than I look."

"Hmm…okay, I buy it."

"The 456. You remember, with the children a few months back?"

"Oh, yeah. Dead Bowie was trying to claim credit."

"It was aliens. I sacrificed my grandson to them to keep them from taking millions of other kids. I destroyed my daughter."

"Man…"

"I also killed the man I love. Not directly, same as you. But it was my fault. I was overconfident and it killed him."

Horrible's face was sympathetic. "This is just a fucked up world, isn't it? And we're no better than the rest."

"Mmm."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Dr. Horrible spoke. "I'm building a new death ray. The Armageddon Ray. I'm going to end the world's pain."

"Do you really want to do that?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay then."

More silence. "You're…you're not going to turn me in? Kill me? Demand to know my evil plan?"

"Why should I?"

"Because. You're the good guy and I'm the bad guy."

"I'm not so sure about that anymore."

"Are you going to talk me out of it?"

"Is that possible?"

"No."

Jack sighed. "I'm not a hero anymore. Heroes fix things, make them better. Captain Jack destroys them."

He drained his glass, set the money on the counter and stood up. He held out his hand. "Nice meeting you, Doctor."

Dr. Horrible took his hand. "Same. What's your name?"

"It doesn't matter. Not anymore." With that, Jack walked away.

Four months later, Jack Harkness left Earth for good. Five months later, Dr. Horrible's Armageddon Ray was complete.


End file.
